With 46 different beaches on the 42-mile long island, Florianópolis (affectionately known as Floripa) offers visitors a slew of spots for every activity and every vibe imaginable. The New York Times named it "Party Destination of the Year in 2009."
January and February see the scorching sun bronzing beautiful Brazilians and Argentinians. 6-pack abs and Victoria Secret-worthy women everywhere. Grab sun screen and a towel- beers, umbrellas, food and flirting can all be found at the beaches.
Yep. Perfect.
BEACHES: the reason you come to Floripa...
Mole Beach
easily accessible, centrally located; reasonably chill, few vendors.
Joaquina Beach
less activity than Barra, but still active. Great surfing. Infrequent bus.
Barra de Lagoa
tons of vendors and restaurants, music, people, tables and umbrellas. This has lots of action
Matadeiro Beach
beautiful, secluded beach. Requires an hour hike to get there. Locals consider it the top choice.
Lagoinha do Este
best hike on the island. Ends with a stunning view over a secluded beach. 1.5 hr. hike
Jurerê Beach
rich and famous beach. Lots of kids and families. Home of the P12 day raves (see section below) are up here. Worth it for that party on Saturday.
Galheta Beach
Nude.
NON-BEACH THINGS TO DO:
Rent scooters: $30/day lets you cruise the island and visit any beach you like. Given taxis are pricey and buses slow/unreliable, team up with someone else and this will be a decision you're happy you made. Or find a beach babe/stud and make this a first date...
P12 aka Saturday Day Parties: the wild day parties of Vegas hotels Rehab and Wet Republic have found their Floripa equivalent at P12, a ritzy hotel on the north coast of the island, close to Jurerê beach where famous DJs will sprin sets until the sun rises again. Beautiful men and women dance and drink all day. It's pricey to enter and drinks are expensive. If you want to find a sexy boyfriend/girlfriend, this is your spot.
Tuesday Farro: great singles bar with love music and tons of dancing every Tuesday. Upstairs (inside) features farro and downstairs (outside) bands jam reggae and rock on a much larger stage. Cover is about 15-20 Reales.
Bar De Raiz Tuesday night parties are always a good bet.
Bar De Raiz is packed on Tuesdays
Mindfulness/Witchery: lots of ayhuasca, sorcery, mindfulness, chakra-focused practices and other forms of alternative medicine and healing are actively available in Floripa. I can make appropriate introductions. For instance Aya with legit shamans can be done for 10% of the price of the tourist trap versions in Peru. Why? Because it's legitimately cheap; expensive tours are specifically for tourists in South America.
Kite Surf: amazing wind during the summer (January and February). Lagoa de Conceicão has fresh, smooth water and features a kite school. The far end of Barra de Lagoa (approaching Moçambique beach) is another spot. Dudes rip it here. Lots of waves and good wind.
Surf: I have some awesome surfer babe friends in Floripa who like to surf in the morning and yoga in the afternoon. Tons of great spots for both. Joaquina Beach is well known for great breaks amongst surfers. Beware of the very strong outward current.
WHERE TO STAY:
Sunset Backpackers: social, centrally located, free bfast, offering a pool and full service restaurant with craft beers. No outside alcohol allowed. Food and beer prices are steep (smallish pints for $5usd). Great vibe and friendly staff. Offer daily tours. Small kitchen (so plan ahead or cook on off-hours). 20minute walk to grocery. 7 minute walk to Mole Beach (great). Bus stops directly out front.
Tropicalia Hostal: affordable option in Floripa. Only about 20 beds, free bfast, small kitchen, small rooms. Located in middle of Lagoa de Conceicão, close to night life. 7 minute walk to grocery. If you want to kite board, the Lagoa is perfect during summer. Bus stops close (too far to walk to beaches). Great staff. Also! They have these awesome little monkeys that play around the main area all day. Watch the video!
Food Truck Park (Lagoa de Conceiçao): 8-10 different options (Asian, burgers, sushi, pizza, Korean, etc) and an empty swimming pool with skaters grinding and swerving will keep you entertained.
Food Truck Park (Lagoa de Conceiçao) offers some great eats.
Food Truck Park (Lagoa de Barra): really good craft beer truck and decent burger truck.
Amarelinho (The little yellow cocktail bar): I'm convinced it's painted yellow because it's a gold mine for the owner. Super popular with foreigners and college kids on the weekends, this place serves 2-3 different types of caipirinhas (BRL 8) for cheap. They're super strong and led to bloody hands after I thought I could still skateboard in the dark and ate pavement. Smooth.
Books and Beer offers Lagoa views from their rooftop.
Books and Beers: cool little spot overlooking Lagoa de Conceiçao. Craft beers and a library-like decor make a perfect spot to watch the sun set over the lagoa.
Supermercados Magia: cheapest beer prices I found in Lagoa de Conceicão.